best mig wire

[Munkul]

I bought my mig in around 2000. It hardly had any use until about 2014. In 2 equally damp warehouses right by the sea. In Wales! Never rusted - just cheap copper coated stuff.

Well you were lucky. Most cheap wire goes rusty in a year or so of living in an unheated workshop.

 

[fizzy]

Well you were lucky. Most cheap wire goes rusty in a year or so of living in an unheated workshop.

My 2nd roll has lasted about 6 or 7 years again no problem. One was from machine Mart the other was cheap online. Branded SIP or something. It's obviously the copper coating that does the trick!

 

[Madis Moppel]

A few years ago I bought ESAB Caddy C200i MIG and it came with 1kg of ESAB 12.51 wire on D200 spool. Kept the spool in a central heated flat and in one year it had gotten rust spots all over.

 

[GRW]

Funnily enough - I wa going to ask this very question!
I have an Oxford MigMaker 180-1 which I believe is considered to be a decent bit of kit?
Now like most things, I'm aware that I'm the weak link in the chain, and weld very occasionally too which doesn't help..... but I've never been THAT impressed with the consistency and strike-up of my welding - it seems to be not as nice as I'd envisaged.
A while ago I used a mate's ancient, tatty Murex Tradesmig 165 using 0.8 wire... and was able to set it up and get welding with relative ease on really thin, cruddy old metal in no time. Loved the feel of the Murex, so.....
Could it be my Oxford is hamstrung by cheap wire?
(I've not run anywhere near 5kg through the machine yet. I also have a small 14w solid state heater and a large dessicant pack that lives in the spool area to keep things dry, & my sheds not too bad for damp / condensation).
One of the reasons for buying the Oxford was it's stated range from 20A for thin stuff, with the Oomph for 4mm, 5mm at a push.

I need all the help I can get from the welder to aid my very amateur skill & experience.... would investing in 5kg of Lincoln / Esab wire be likely to be a significant improvement?
(Think David Harries in Whitland stocks Lincoln wire not far from me, or I could order in some user-friendly recommended wire).
TIA, G.

 

[Munkul]

I'm not sure it will make that much difference, unless your wire is particularly bad... How is your wire tensioner set? Good condition torch? Tip? Liner? Earth? Earth and tip are probably the most important things for good arc starts.

Some mig sets just aren't that good, for whatever reason i don't know. I've got rid of two pretty decent quality machines in the past just because i didn't like their arc starts or the arc itself. I had brand new torches and wire on them and chalked it up to poor transformer characteristics. One was a 400 amp lincoln, in theory should have been ok. I hated it.

 

[GRW]

I'm not sure it will make that much difference, unless your wire is particularly bad... How is your wire tensioner set? Good condition torch? Tip? Liner? Earth? Earth and tip are probably the most important things for good arc starts.

Some mig sets just aren't that good, for whatever reason i don't know. I've got rid of two pretty decent quality machines in the past just because i didn't like their arc starts or the arc itself. I had brand new torches and wire on them and chalked it up to poor transformer characteristics. One was a 400 amp lincoln, in theory should have been ok. I hated it.

Welders not done much so think torch liner OK, and wire tensioner is OK I think (just enough pressure to grip and feed evenly). I might try a different Earth clamp & another tip, and cross my fingers.

 

[Turbo]

Torch liners and wire can go rusty even with efforts to keep the damp out.
Rust will cause a lot of issues with wire feed and frustrate even experienced users.
I suggest you fit a new liner and roll of wire and see if it helps.

 

[Munkul]

Welders not done much so think torch liner OK, and wire tensioner is OK I think (just enough pressure to grip and feed evenly). I might try a different Earth clamp & another tip, and cross my fingers.

if its an mb25 check the tip holder as well, they can wear abnormally fast and cause issues. also try turning the wire tension up quite a bit and see if it makes any difference - sometimes, just sometimes, it can turn a crap welder into quote a good one

 

[GRW]

if its an mb25 check the tip holder as well, they can wear abnormally fast and cause issues. also try turning the wire tension up quite a bit and see if it makes any difference - sometimes, just sometimes, it can turn a crap welder into quote a good one

Pretty sure it is a Binzel MB25 torch (if that's the smaller one on a 3-metre lead). Not sure how to check the tip holder but I'll take a shufti at it next time I go near the welder. I'll have a go at the wire feed too. Thanks for the tips

 

[GRW]

Torch liners and wire can go rusty even with efforts to keep the damp out.
Rust will cause a lot of issues with wire feed and frustrate even experienced users.
I suggest you fit a new liner and roll of wire and see if it helps.

I've never fitted a new liner... but I have one of the "net curtain carrier" type new in a wrapper in the shed I could try to fit.
I think my wire is Super-6 or similar, certainly not a premium brand, so it's got to be worth investing in some Lincoln or similar , change the Earth Clamp etc & hope to effect an improvement